Researchers Dropped a Camera 305 Feet Beneath Antarctica, What They Found Was Nothing Short of Amazing

Ice is a climate diary that often contains within itself details of a time that has passed centuries ago. Oceanography experts like Austin Carter (@austincarter642) explore ice from remote corners of the world to get a glimpse of the past and many other reasons. In 2022, Carter shared a video that showed some of the ancient ice uncovered by experts.

Carter dropped his camera in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. At first, he showed the hole that had been drilled by scientists at the Allan Hills to explore the ice sheet. In the beginning, it seemed like there was a black circle amid blue. Slowly, the cracks and lines began to emerge. In a text overlay, Carter further explained the reason this site was chosen for the hole. He wrote that this was the place where the oldest ice ever had been discovered, in the past. Therefore, experts thought that to further walk back in time, the site was suitable.

While going down, Carter also mentioned that the ice they have uncovered from this hole is 2.7 million years old. As the camera goes down, it is evident that the deeper layers have remained somewhat untouched. The outside factors appear not to have affected them at all.

The core that the researchers have unearthed with the hole is making them hopeful that even more old ice is on the horizon. Through the ice, Carter and his team are optimistic that they will gain more insights about the fundamental properties associated with even the present-day climate system. The video was accompanied by engine sounds, which added a charm to the whole experience of speeding down. The video ended by showing what lay at the bottom of this explored path, a woolly, snow-like substance.

The video turned viral in no time, gaining 2.6 million likes to date. The comment section was fired up with queries and opinions. @courtneyelise72 posed a question in the hearts of several environmental lovers: "Does this hurt the ice?" @conanthebarbie hoped that researchers planned for the transformations and wrote, "It could destabilize the ice, yes. Let's hope they planned for that."

The hole showcased in the video measured around 305 feet in depth, according to the LAD Bible. It was made by the Center for Old Ice Exploration (COLDEX), of which Carter, a PhD student, was a part during the video. As per Carter's TikTok account, he appears to still be in Antarctica, exploring away. 

The Center for Oldest Ice Exploration has also not stopped in its pursuit of recovering the oldest ice, according to Northwestern. They appear to set shop every year, to go further and further back into the past. In 2024, they managed to unearth four million-year-old ice. Scientists believe it is the oldest ice ever found by researchers worldwide. Experts confirmed from this finding that they have uncovered respiration-produced, or non-atmospheric, carbon dioxide from microbes. Analyzing the carbon dioxide levels will help researchers understand how glacial cycles changed from ice ages to warm spells on Earth.